Now through Week 9 of the 2019 NFL season, we at PFF have ranked the top 25 wide receivers in PFF receiving grade. The list only pulls from 2019 data to rank the receivers in order and excludes all wideouts with fewer than 200 routes run entering Week 10.
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1. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Surprising no one, Thomas leads all qualifying wideouts in PFF receiving grade (89.1) through Week 9. The Saints superstar has hauled in 73-of-87 targets for 875 yards, 41 first downs and four touchdowns with a mix of Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater at the helm. Perhaps most impressively, Thomas has hauled in 12 of his 14 contested-catch opportunities this season.
2. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Godwin has lived up the offseason hype. Fantasy and NFL analysts both raved about Godwin’s potential entering the 2019 season, and he’s done nothing but impress through the first nine weeks of play. He currently ranks second among qualifiers in PFF receiving grade (88.2), ninth in yards per route run (2.27) and fourth in passer rating when targeted (129.8).
3. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Opposite of Godwin, Evans has also played at a high level to start the season. He enters Week 10 ranked third in PFF receiving grade (86.9), fifth in yards per route run (2.57) and tied for second in total receptions of 15-plus yards (22).
4. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Hopkins has hauled in 50% of his contested targets and dropped just four passes on 90 total targets. He has recorded 68 receptions for 665 yards, four touchdowns and 38 first downs through Week 9, earning the fourth-best PFF receiving grade among wideouts in the process (85.8).
5. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Another receiver that entered the season with a ton of support, Lockett has gone from hyper-efficient with limited targets to almost equally efficient with a ton of targets. Lockett enters Week 10 ranked seventh in yards per route run (2.30) and second in passer rating when targeted (139.8).
6. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas version of Cooper is quite spectacular. The 2015 first-rounder enters Week 10 ranked first in passer rating when targeted (142.5) and second in yards per route run (2.98). He is an elite separator in the NFL that is finally getting the target volume he should have seen in Oakland.
7. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
An underrated wideout in the NFL, Kupp has earned the seventh-best PFF receiving grade (84.1) among qualifiers through Week 9, hauling in 58-of-84 targets for 792 yards, 28 first downs and five touchdowns in the process. He also ranks tied for first in yards after the catch per reception (7.1) and fourth in yards per route run (2.68).
8. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Jones coming in at eighth is a rare sight for us at PFF. The Falcons standout has always ranked inside the top-five, if not the top-three, in PFF receiving grade and yards per route run throughout his career. He still has time to climb the ranks, but through Week 9, he ranks eighth in PFF receiving grade (84.0) and sixth in yards per route run (2.41).
9. Emmanuel Sanders, San Francisco 49ers
Sanders tore his Achilles in December 2018, which put the wideout’s NFL future in peril. However, not only has Sanders returned to the gridiron sooner than expected, but he is on pace for a career year. He ranks inside the top-10 in PFF receiving grade (83.1) and hasn’t dropped a single pass through nine weeks.
10. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Sutton, a second-year SMU product drafted in the second round in 2018, has taken his game to another level in 2019. He enters Week 10 ranked eighth in yards per route run (2.28), with six contested catches on six contested targets. He has also averaged 5.1 yards after the catch per reception, which ranks inside the top-20 among qualifiers at his position.
11. D.J. Chark Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
Like Sutton, Chark is a second-year receiver that has blossomed into quite the threat in 2019. The former LSU standout currently ranks 11th in yards per route run (2.08) and has dropped just one pass on 67 total targets. More than just a deep threat, Chark has flashed brilliance in contested-catch situations and slowly expanded his route tree in Year 2 of his NFL career.
12. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions
Golladay has caught 35-of-62 targets for 640 yards, 24 first downs and 71 touchdowns through Week 9. He’s also hauled in 13-of-23 contested targets in said span and ranks 10th in yards per route run (2.19).
13. Terry McLaurin, Washington Redskins
The only rookie to appear on this list, McLaurin has been one of few bright spots for Washington this season. The former Ohio State wideout enters Week 10 ranked 14th among qualifiers in yards per route run at 2.02. He has also forced four missed tackles after the catch and has hauled in six of his 11 contested targets on the year.
14. Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions
Golladay gets a majority of the praise in Detroit, but Jones is deserving of some love, as well. The 29-year-old veteran has caught 15-of-20 contested targets, forced four missed tackles after the catch and logged zero drops through nine weeks of play. He also ranks 12th among all qualifying wideouts in passer rating when targeted.
15. John Brown, Buffalo Bills
Brown deals with his fair share of off-target passes from Josh Allen, but he does make the most of the targets that do end up in his catch radius. He has caught 42-of-60 targets for 603 yards, 31 first downs and two touchdowns so far this season and enters Week 10 ranked 12th in yards per route run (2.05). He has also forced five missed tackles after the catch and hauled in 4-of-7 contested targets.
16. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
After a blazing start to the season, Allen has cooled down in recent weeks. He still ranks 16th in PFF receiving grade (76.1) and yards per route run (1.96), but he hasn’t had over 65 receiving yards in a game since Week 4. He needs to bounce back to stay on this list by year’s end.
17. Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
Trubisky hasn’t helped him in the slightest, but Robinson has still managed to claw his way into the top-20 in PFF receiving grade (78.3) with great contested-catch ability and sure-handedness. Robinson has hauled in 13-of-23 contested targets and dropped just one pass through Week 9. Bortles North is really holding him back from elite-level production.
18. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
Hilton narrowly eclipsed the threshold for the list with just 203 routes run on the season, but he’s been efficient when healthy. He enters Week 10 ranked 11th in passer rating when targeted (114.9) and 18th in PFF receiving grade (75.5).
19. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
After a slow, disgruntled start to the 2019 season, Diggs has turned it on in recent weeks. He leads all NFL receivers with 200 or more routes run in yards per route run (3.02) entering Week 10, hauling in 38-of-53 targets for 712 yards, 18 first downs and four touchdowns in the process.
20. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers
Moore has caught 45-of-64 targets for 564 yards, 29 first downs and one touchdown through Week 9. He has been most impressive in contested-catch situations, hauling in nine of his 16 contested targets on the year. He also ranks 18th among qualifiers at his position in yards per route run (1.94).
21. Golden Tate, New York Giants
Tate has caught 12-of-20 contested targets and forced five missed tackles after the catch so far this season. He has also averaged 5.2 yards after the catch per reception, which ranks tied for 15th among qualifying wideouts.
22. Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys
Gallup has run just 213 routes (including plays nullified by penalty) so far this season, but he still ranks 22nd in PFF receiving grade (73.4) and inside the top-15 in yards per route run through Week 9.
23. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams
Woods has hauled in 38-of-57 targets for 471 yards and 23 first downs so far this season, earning a 72.6 PFF receiving grade in the process. He enters Week 10 with 13 receptions of 15-plus yards and a yards after the catch per reception average of 6.6 that ranks sixth among qualifiers at his position.
24. Will Fuller V, Houston Texans
Fuller enters Week 10 ranked 19th in yards per route run (1.93) with 15 first-down receptions and three touchdowns to his name. He has also caught four of his six contested targets and ranks tied for 15th in yards after the catch per reception at 5.2.
25. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
Edelman has been impressive from an efficiency standpoint considering his high target volume; only Hopkins has more targets than Edelman entering Week 10. Edelman’s seven drops drag down his grade significantly, but he’s still earned a top-25 PFF receiving grade and ranks 22nd in yards per route run (1.87) among qualifiers. He has also caught five of his nine contested targets.
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